Vehicle-equalizing support.



No. 674,82I.- Patented May 2l, |90l. A. K. WDLFE.

VEHICLE EGUALIZING SUPPORT.

(Application led Sept. 22, 1900.)

(NoModel.)

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ABNER K. VOLFE, OF KANSAS CITY,

KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE H. LINDLEY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

VEHICLE-EQUALIZING SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,821, dated May 21, 1901- Application led September 22. 1900. Serial No. 30,766. (No model.)

' T0 all wtmlt t ntfty concern,.-

Be itknown that I, ABNER K. WOLFE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Kansas City, in the county of l/Vyandotte and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vehicle-Equalizing Supports,ot` which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in veliicle-equalizing supports.

One object of my invention is to provide certain equalizing devices for preventing lateral as well as longitudinal rocking or oscillationv of the vehicle-body when the same is moved rapidly over an undulating or uneven road-bed.

The object of my invention, further, is to retain the vehicle-body in a substantially even position when the load carried thereby is unevenly distributed.

My invention provides, further, two pairs of equaliziug-bars longitudinally disposed, one pair on each side ofthe vehicle-body, supporting the same upon the outer ends of the levers, the inner ends of each pair of which are connected together, combined with means by which the two pairs of levers are made to operate in unison, the levers being supported by the running-gear and springs being provided by which the movement downward of the vehicle-body upon the lever is resisted.

My invention provides, still further, in combination with suit-able equalizing devices for supporting the vehicle-body, novel mechanism by the use of which the number of springs ordinarily employed to partially support the vehicle-body may be considerably reduced.

My invention provides, still further, certain novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of my invention as applied to street-cars, Figure lV represents a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the dotted line Ct b of Fig. 3. In this view is shown in dotted lines the modification of the invention employed when the supporting-springs are inserted between the vehicle-body and the equalizinglever. Fig. 2 represents a vertical sectional view taken on the dotted line c d of Fig. 3.

In this view the su pporting-springs are shown inserted between the truck-frame and the Vehicle-body. Fig. 3 represents a plan viewoi the mechanisms shown in Fig. 2. Fig. represents a side-elevation view of one of the spring supporting members used to pivotally connect the inner ends ot' the longitudinal equalizing-levers, the springs supported by the said members, and portions of the parts connected with the said spring-supporting member. Fig. 5 represents a vertical transverse sectional view of one of the spring-supporting members illustrated in Fig. e.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts.

1 indicates the horizontal supporting-frame of the car-body; 2, the ordinary truck-frame; 3, the car-wheels; 4, the axles, and 5 the supporting-springs inserted between the truckframe and the car-body in the form illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Longitudinally disposed under the car-body, parallel with each other, are four equalizing-levers G, arranged in two pairs, a pair being disposed one on each side of the car-body. The outer ends of the said levers 6 are pivoted, respectively, to the bracket 7, secured to the under side of the car-body, the inner ends of the levers of each pair being pivotally connected together in the manner hereinafter described. The lever 6 may be fulcrumed upon the runninggear in any desirable manner; but I prefer to support them, as shown in Fig. 2, upon boxiugs 8 of any suitable construction, a boxing being secured one to each lever and the boXings being pivotally mounted upon the axles 4, respectively. Transversely disposed below the inner ends of the two pairs of levers 6 are two horizontal transverse equalizing-levers 9, fulcrumed, respectively, upon the bolts lO, secured in and supported by two horizontal parallel transverse bars 1l, forming part of the truck-frame 2. The inner end of one of the levers 9 is bifurcated and has pivotally connected between its two arms, by means of a bolt l2, the inner end of the other lever 9. The inner ends of each pair of the levers 6 are pivotally connected together by means of a transverse bolt 13, which also eX- tends through the twovertical arms of a yoke le, which in the modified form shown in Fig.

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4 also serves as the spring-supporting member. From the lower side of each yoke 14 eX- tends two vertical arms disposed at right angles to the upper arms of the said yoke and between which is pivoted the upper end of a link 15, the lower end of which is pivotally secured to the outer end of one of the transverse levers 9. It will be seen that any vertical movement of the inner ends of the levers 6 will be imparted to the levers 9 through the intermediacy ofthe yokes 14 and the links 15.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. 1 the upper arms of each of the yokes 14 are connected, the upper end of the yoke being provided with au annular recess 16, in which is` placed the lower end of one otl the supporting-springs 5, the upper end of the spring in this form being made to bear upon the under side of the car-body.

My invention is operated as follows: The parts having been assembled as described above, any movement of one end of the carbody downward will tend to depress the outer ends of the levers 6 at that end of the car. This will raise theinner ends of the said levers, and thus will force upward the inner ends of the other levers and will at the same time force the outer ends downward, thus drawing downward the other end of the car-body, the levers 6 swinging freely with the supporting boxes 8 upon the axles. It there is unequal movement of one side of the car-body relative to the other side, it will tend to depress the outer ends of one pair of the levers 6 more than the same ends of the other pair of levers 6. This tendency will be resisted and overcome by means of the transverse equalizing-levers 9, which'will communicate the downward movement to the other pair of levers, as described above. It is evident that any rocking movement laterally or longitudinally will be prevented and the car will remain perfectly balanced. By inserting the springs 5 between the levers 6 and the car-body in the manner described all springs for supporting the car can be dispensed with but two springs, disposed one in each spring supporting member or yoke 14, disposed in the middle of the car.

With the use of my invention the car-wheels may be set quite close together, thus enabling the car to turn short curves with little trackfriction, while at the same time the rocking or oscillation of the car will be almost wholly obviated.

My invention may be modified in other ways without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a vehicle-body, of

the running-gear, two pairs of levers connected at their outer ends to the vehicle-body the levers of each pair being pivotally connected at their inner ends to each other and fulcrumed upon the running-gear, a pair of transverse levers pivotally connected at their inner ends to each other and connected at their outer ends one to each pair of the other levers, a support upon which the transverse levers are fulcrumed, and springs supported by the runninggear for resisting the downward movement of the vehicle-body, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a vehicle-body, of the running-gear, two pairs of levers supporting at their outer ends the vehicle-body, the levers of each pair being pivotally connected together at their inner ends and fulcrumed upon the runninggear, a pair of transverse levers pivotally connected together at their inner ends and connected at their outer ends, one to each pair of the other levers, a support upon which the transverse levers are fulcrumed, and resilient means for resisting the downward movement of the vehicle-body, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a vehicle-body, of the running-gear, two pairs of levers fulcrumed thereon supporting at their outer ends the vehicle-body, the levers of each pair being pivotally connected together at their inner ends, a pair of transverse levers pivotally connected together at their inner ends and connected at their outer ends one to each pair of the other levers and fulcrumed upon a support carried by the running-gear, and springs inserted between the vehicle-body and the inner end of the two said pairs of levers, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a vehicle-body, of the running-gear, two pairs of levers supporting at their outer ends the vehicle-body and fulcrumed upon the running-gear, two spring supporting members to which the inner ends of the said two pairs of levers are pivoted respectively, two transverse levers fulcrumed upon the running-gear and having their two inner ends pivotally connected together, two links connecting respectively the outer ends of the transverse levers` with the two spring-supporting members, and two springs inserted respectively between the two spring-supporting members and the vehiclebody, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specitication in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ABNER K. WOLFE.

/Vitnesses:

WARREN D. HOUSE, JEssIE R. CoMsTocK.

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